Racial Attitudes in Fifteen American Cities, 1968 (ICPSR 3500)

Citation

Campbell, Angus, and Schuman, Howard. Racial Attitudes in Fifteen American Cities, 1968. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1997-11-13. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03500.v2

Summary

This study explores attitudes and perceptions related to
urban problems and race relations in 15 northern cities of the United
States (Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Detroit, Gary, Milwaukee, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis,
San Francisco, and Washington, DC). More specifically, it seeks to
define the social and psychological characteristics and aspirations of
the Black and White urban populations. Samples of Blacks and Whites
were selected in each of the cities in early 1968. The study employed
two questionnaire forms, one for Whites and one for Blacks, and two
corresponding data files were generated. Attitudinal questions asked
of the White and Black respondents measured their satisfaction with
community services, their feelings about the effectiveness of
government in solving urban problems, and their experience with police
abuse. Additional questions about the respondent's familiarity with
and participation in antipoverty programs were included. Other
questions centered on the respondent's opinions about the 1967 riots:
the main causes, the purpose, the major participating classes, and the
effect of the riots on the Black cause. Respondents' interracial
relationships, their attitudes toward integration, and their
perceptions of the hostility between the races were also
investigated. White respondents were asked about their opinions on the
use of governmental intervention as a solution for various problems of
the Blacks, such as substandard schools, unemployment, and unfair
housing practices. Respondent's reactions to nonviolent and violent
protests by Blacks, their acceptance of counter-rioting by Whites and
their ideas concerning possible governmental action to prevent further
rioting were elicited. Inquiries were made as to whether or not the
respondent had given money to support or hinder the Black cause. Other
items investigated respondents' perceptions of racial discrimination
in jobs, education, and housing, and their reactions to working under
or living next door to a Black person. Black respondents were asked
about their perceptions of discrimination in hiring, promotion, and
housing, and general attitudes toward themselves and towards Blacks in
general. The survey also investigated respondents' past participation
in civil rights organizations and in nonviolent and/or violent
protests, their sympathy with rioters, and the likelihood of personal
participation in a future riot. Other questions probed respondents'
attitudes toward various civil rights leaders along with their
concurrence with statements concerning the meaning of "Black power."
Demographic variables include sex and age of the respondent, and the
age and relationship to the respondent of each person in the
household, as well as information about the number of persons in the
household, their race, and the type of structure in which they
lived. Additional demographic topics include the occupational and
educational background of the respondent, of the respondent's family
head, and of the respondent's father. The respondent's family income
and the amount of that income earned by the head of the family were
obtained, and it was determined if any of the family income came from
welfare, Social Security, or veteran's benefits. This study also
ascertained the place of birth of the respondent and respondent's
mother and father, in order to measure the degree of southern
influence. Other questions investigated the respondent's military
background, religious preference, marital status, and family
composition.

Citation

Campbell, Angus, and Schuman, Howard. Racial Attitudes in Fifteen American Cities, 1968. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1997-11-13. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03500.v2

Time Period(s)

1968-01 -- 1968-04

Date of Collection

1968-01 -- 1968-04

Data Collection Notes

The interviewing was
conducted by four organizations, each responsible for certain cities:
Survey Research Center of the University of Michigan--Baltimore,
Cincinnati, and Detroit, National Opinion Research Center of the
University of Chicago--Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cleveland, Gary,
Newark, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, San Francisco, and Washington, DC,
Survey Research Laboratory of the University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee,
Institute for Survey Research of Temple University--Philadelphia. Each
organization designed its own interviewer instructions and obtained
its own population distribution figures. The interviews were coded by
the Survey Research Center coding section.

All multiple-response variables exist as separate
variables in the SAS and SPSS data definition statements and as single
variables in all other files. Thus, the total number of variables
defined in the SAS and SPSS data definition statements is not the same
as that identified in the codebook.

Sample

Samples of Blacks and whites were selected in each of the
cities, and approximately 175 respondents of each race were
interviewed in early 1968. There were three stages of sampling. First,
city blocks were selected within each city. Then, dwellings were
selected within each city block. Finally, individuals were selected
within each dwelling. In the first stage, city blocks were sampled
with probabilities proportional to the number of dwellings after
stratification by racial classification. Although white households had
equal selection probabilities within a city, Black households in
predominantly white blocks had a lower selection rate than Black
households in racially mixed or predominantly Black neighborhoods. In
the second stage, an average of five dwellings was selected from each
sample block. Finally, in a sample household, all persons 16 to 69
years of age were listed by the interviewer. When only one person in
the household was eligible, he or she was interviewed in half of the
cases. When two persons were eligible, one was selected for
interviewing. When there were three or more eligible persons in a
household, at least one but not more than two were designated for the
sample. Eligible persons were stratified by age so that, in general,
when two individuals were to be interviewed, one was a member of the
older generation and the other was one of the younger household
members. The selection of respondents within the household was an
objective procedure that allowed no substitution. In cases of
racially mixed households, the selection procedure was unchanged.

Universe

Individuals between the ages of 16 and 69, living in
private households within the 1960 corporate limits of the cities
sampled (Baltimore, Boston, Brooklyn, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland,
Detroit, Gary, Milwaukee, Newark, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, St. Louis,
San Francisco, and Washington, DC). Persons with no place of
residence, the institutional population, and persons in group quarters
had no chance of selection for the study.

Data Source

telephone interviews

Data Type(s)

Original Release Date

1984-03-18

Version Date

1997-11-13

Version History

1997-11-13 Logical record length data with SAS and SPSS data
definition statements are now available for this collection. Note that
because multiple mention variables are documented in the SAS and SPSS
data definition statements, the number of variables associated with
Part 1 and Part 2 increased. The codebook has been converted to a PDF
file, and the data collection instrument and frequencies are now part
of the codebook.

Notes

Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions.

This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.